SONG OF THE DAY
“This Time Tomorrow” by The Kinks (Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One, Pye Records, 1970). Written by Ray Davies.
INTERESTING FACTS (a la wikipedia)
– Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One is a concept album by British rock band The Kinks, recorded and released in 1970.
– The album is a satirical look at the various facets of the music industry, including song publishers, unions, the press, accountants, business managers, and the road.
– Musically Lola Versus Powerman is varied, drawing on the genres of folk, hard rock, and traditional British music hall.
– Although it appeared during a transitional period for The Kinks, Lola Versus Powerman was a success both critically and commercially for the group, charting in the Top 40 in America and helping restore them in the public eye, making it their “comeback” album.
– It contained two hit singles: “Lola”, which reached the top 10 in the US and UK, and “Apeman”, which peaked at #5 in the UK.
– 1970 proved to be a year of major transition for The Kinks. They had been subject to a ban from the American Federation of Musicians, who had refused permits for the group to perform in America since 1965. When this ban was lifted in 1969, the group’s management quickly made plans for a North American tour, to help restore their standing in the US pop music scene.
– However, members of the band fell ill, and their US tour was shuffled, as they only managed to play a few dates in America and Canada. A follow-up tour in 1970 met with similar results, with the group performing only at a select number of venues, with many dates canceled.
– The down time between the tours allowed Ray Davies, lead singer and songwriter of the group, to carefully craft the band’s next single, “Lola”.
– The album was well-received throughout the British music press. A review in New Musical Express called “[Ray] Davies … one of the finest writers in contemporary rock,” and praised the record’s British styles and originality. Melody Maker’s interpretation of Lola Versus Powerman was Davies “taking a cheeky nibble” at the pop music business; they continued that “The music’s pure Kinks simplicity—but it works.”
– The album received generally positive reviews in the US. Rolling Stone magazine commented that it was “the best Kinks album yet”. Writing in his “Consumer Guide” column of The Village Voice, Robert Christgau commented that “Lola” had been an “astounding single,” but gave Lola Versus Powerman a mixed review, saying that “the melodies are still there, but in this context they sound corny rather than plaintive.”
– The single “Lola” received positive reviews, and, due to its success, an interview with Ray Davies by Jonathan Cott was featured as a cover story for Rolling Stone in November 1970.
– Modern critical opinion towards Lola Versus Powerman is generally positive but often mixed. Initially given a positive review by the magazine in 1971, Rolling Stone rated it 3 1/2 out of 5 stars in its 1992 printing—however, the fourth edition (published in 2004) ranked it at only 2 stars. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic gave the album a positive review, writing that “Davies never really delivers a cohesive story, but the record holds together because it’s one of his strongest set of songs.”
– Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One went virtually unnoticed by the record-buying public in the UK and failed to chart, despite the success of its lead single, “Lola”, which topped the New Musical Express charts in the UK, and reached #2 on Melody Maker.
– The record proved influential: Tom Petty told Rolling Stone that he “especially liked” it, and cited the album as an influence on The Last DJ, another album critical of the music industry.
– Tracks from Lola Versus Powerman have been featured in multiple films across several languages. One of the most notable uses of songs from the album was when “This Time Tomorrow”, “Strangers”, and “Powerman” were featured in the 2007 Wes Anderson film The Darjeeling Limited; these tracks were later included on the accompanying soundtrack album.
– In France, “This Time Tomorrow” appeared in the 2005 Philippe Garrel film Les amants réguliers.
– Before the release of Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One the band discussed the possibility of it being released as a double album. According to Doug Hinman’s book, The Kinks: All Day and All of the Night, a sequel album was planned for release sometime in 1971, but was ultimately scrapped and the band opted to record Muswell Hillbillies instead.
– Due to the fact that an official title to the follow-up album was never revealed, Hinman refers to the album as Kinks, Part Two and suggests that preliminary sessions may have occurred in late 1970/early 1971. It is unclear what songs would have appeared on this album, and it is unknown if any songs were even recorded, with the possible exception of some unreleased backing tracks. Almost certainly no songs were completed or mastered.